[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 49, Volume 1] [Revised as of October 1, 2002] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 49CFR26.63] [Page 283] TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION SUBTITLE A--OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION PART 26--PARTICIPATION BY DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES IN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS--Table of Contents Subpart D--Certification Standards Sec. 26.63 What rules govern group membership determinations? (a) If you have reason to question whether an individual is a member of a group that is presumed to be socially and economically disadvantaged, you must require the individual to demonstrate, by a preponderance of the evidence, that he or she is a member of the group. (b) In making such a determination, you must consider whether the person has held himself out to be a member of the group over a long period of time prior to application for certification and whether the person is regarded as a member of the group by the relevant community. You may require the applicant to produce appropriate documentation of group membership. (1) If you determine that an individual claiming to be a member of a group presumed to be disadvantaged is not a member of a designated disadvantaged group, the individual must demonstrate social and economic disadvantage on an individual basis. (2) Your decisions concerning membership in a designated group are subject to the certification appeals procedure of Sec. 26.89.